Jay Electronica - Dear Moleskine

It’s that time again: time for Jay Electronica to come out of the woodwork with a mind-blowing new record, remind us that he’s one of the most talented emcees in the game, then disappear for at least six months before starting the whole process again. OK, maybe that’s just a touch cynical—but Dear Moleskine is so dope that it’s hard to enjoy the moment, knowing Jay Elec might walk right back out of my life. The finished version of a jam previously leaked to the ‘net in an incomplete form, this cut finds Elec scribbling in his notebook over the wistful sample work of Just Blaze. Over his Exhibit C collaborator’s retro-informed yet formally daring beat (dig the transition—of absence thereof—between the intro, “hook” and verse), the artist delivers dense, introspective bars that nonetheless manage to be eminently relatable. Reflecting on his struggles with depression and inertia, he spits, “When you’ve cried all your tears out, and one page of your diary can tell you what your year about, that’s a lonely place.” Has Jay’s latest release struck a chord with you? Then keep it locked. The artist’s long-delayed Act II: The Patents Of Nobility LP still lacks a drop date, but we’ll keep you supplied with further details as they emerge.